Sultan Ibrahim departs for first Malaysian royal state visit to Saudi Arabia since 1984, will also visit Bahrain to strengthen bilateral ties
SUBANG: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, departed for Saudi Arabia this morning for a state visit lasting until November 6.
This visit represents ongoing efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s bilateral relations with other nations for the benefit of the people and country.
His Majesty will proceed to Bahrain on November 6 for another state visit following the Saudi Arabian leg.
Today’s departure marks a historic occasion as the first state visit by a Malaysian King to Saudi Arabia since the late Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah’s visit in 1984.
The special aircraft carrying His Majesty took off from the Royal Malaysian Air Force base here at 9 am.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof attended the departure ceremony to bid farewell to Sultan Ibrahim.
Several ministers and senior government officials were also present to see off the King.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil joined other dignitaries at the send-off.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar were also in attendance.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing completed the ministerial delegation present.
Senior government officials including Chief Secretary Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul also attended.
Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar and Armed Forces Chief General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar joined the farewell ceremony.
Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz completed the list of senior officials present.
His Majesty received a Royal Salute from a guard-of-honour before departure.
The First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment provided the honour guard consisting of four officers and 103 other ranks.
Major Muhammad Fikri Senan led the honour guard during the ceremony.
A 21-gun salute accompanied the national anthem Negaraku during the send-off proceedings.
His Majesty will hold a four-eye meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
The King’s sons accompany him on this important diplomatic mission.
Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj joins his father on the visit.
Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj complete the royal delegation.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin serves as Minister-In-Attendance during the state visit.
The Bahrain segment marks the first state visit since diplomatic relations began between Malaysia and Bahrain in 1974.
King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa extended the invitation to Sultan Ibrahim for the Bahrain visit.
Both monarchs maintain a long-standing friendship spanning many years.
His Majesty previously visited Bahrain in 2017 during his tenure as Sultan of Johor.
King Hamad attended Sultan Ibrahim’s installation ceremony as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong last year. – Bernama
